Valve clearance gauge



A. F. E. scHEMMEl.

' -vALvE CLEARANCE GAUGE `uly 22, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed Feb. 13, 1950 Albert EE. Scham/nei INVENTOR.

WWW %m A. F. E. SCHEMMEL VALVE CLEARANCE GAUGE July 22,1952 l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Feb. 13, v195o INVENTOR.

BY MW Patented July 22, 1952 UNITED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE f l rVALVE CLEARANCE GAUGE Albert F. E. Schemmel, Alvord, owa. Application February 13, 1950, Serial No. 143,841

pet valves and for adjusting the length and' clearance of the same after a valve re-grinding operation.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which will simplify and render more efficient and economicalthe operation of reconditioning and adjustingr poppet valves of internal combustion enginesand similar devices.

A further important object of 'the' invention is to provide an improved valve clearance gauge for determining the requisite length to which a valve and its valve stem should be adjusted for eflcient operation in the machine after the valve has been ground upon its seat,

A further important object of the invention is to provide a valve clearance gauge in conformity with the foregoing object which may be easily, accurately and more satisfactorily adjusted for determining the desired'clearances of various sizes and types of valves in their valve assemblies. A

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a valve clearance gauge as set forth in the foregoing objects wherein the device may be readily adjusted to indicate and gauge various types, dimensions, and sizes of valves and for effecting any desired clearance between the valve and its actuator after a valvegrinding operation has been performed.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide an improved valve grinding jig for holding the valve stem against an abrasive wheel for removing excess material therefrom and for effecting a grinding of the valve stem to any desired length.

These, together with various., ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a portion of the valve assembly of an internal combustion engine or other mechanism and showing the improved valve clearance gauge positioned therein;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a valve adjusting grinder with the valve clearance forming lthe vsubject of this 4 Claims. (Cl. 337-181) 2 invention applied thereto and illustratin eration in setting the device; v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, similar to Figure 2 but showing the placing of a valve in the jig after the latter has been set in accordance with the valve clearance gauge;

Figure 4is a top plan view of the valve clearance gauge illustrating the indicating means therefor; l Y

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the valve clearance gauge disclosed in Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is aside elevational view of a portion of the valve clearance gauge.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals desigits opnate similar parts throughout the various views,

attention is directed rst to Figure 1 wherein there is disclosed at I0 a portion of the cylinder of an internal combustion engine or other apparatus which is provided with control valves, a portion of the assembly of the valve mechanism being illustrated as including a conical or tapered valve seat I2 together with a cylindrical passage or port I4 in which is removably installed the conventional valve stem guide, the conventional valve assembly further including a valve actuator, such asa, tappet, or the like, I6 adapted to be reciprocated by a valve actuating cam I8 in accordance with conventional and wellknown practice in the internal combustion engine art or other analogous ,fields When it becomes necessary to clean and recondition the seating .engagement of the conventional poppet valve, vthe same including a Valve stem 20, a valve head 22 having a conical valve-seating surfacel 24 thereon, as shown inl Figure 3, the customary guide bushing,l not shown, is removed from the valve guide bushing passage I4, land the valve head 22 is rotated in any suitable manner to cause a grinding of the complementary surfaces of the valveV -head 24 and the valve seat I2 to reestablish a serviceable seatingA engagement between these elements.

However, since this valve grinding operation necessarily abrades lor removes considerable material from the coacting surfaces of the valve seat and the valve head, the bottom end of the valve stem which abuts the valvetappet or actu` ator I6 is correspondingly lowered, thereby di.- minishing the customary necessary operating clearance between the actuator and the bottom of the valve stem, After the valve grinding operation has been'completed, it therefore' becomes necessary toremove certain excess material from` the bottom of the valve stem in order to restore this desired clearance between the actuator and the stem to the requisite tolerance or dimension.

Since, however, the amount of material which it is required to remove from the bottom of the Valve stem after a valve grinding operation varies with each valve, it is necessary to accurately measure or gauge the overall distance from the seating surface 24 on the valve head 22 and the upper surface'of thewalve actuator I6.'-

It is the primary function and purpose of this invention to provide an improved means for accurately gauging this distance, and thereafter determining the amount of material which must" be removed from the bottom of the valve stem in order to restore the desired clearance between the same and the top of the valve actuator.

The improved Valve clearance gauge intended to perform this purpose, as illustrated in Figure 5, consists of a shaft or rod 26 of any suitable length constituting a stem, the opposite extremities of this stem beingrscrew-threaded, as at,.28 and'30. ',At Vits lowerend, the stem has screwthreadedly engaged upon the threadsf the incould be provided, of varying lengthsy wherebyV thegauge wouldfbe vreadily-adapted to the measuringof various sizes and types of valves. Slidably received upon the shaft 25 is av sleeve 36,see Figure 6, which has'integrally formed upon its upper end, or rigidly attached thereto in any desired manner, a dummy valve body. This dummyqvalvebody is provided with a conical surface 40Jwhich is lof substantially the same contour and shape as the seating surface 24 on the poppet valve head 22, to thereby engage the seat I2.

Obviously;` the extend of the surface'lII) will be such'as to engage the seats I2 of different sizes of valves in order to adaptthe device to function .with'a' plurality of types and makes of valve mechanisms. Y

-As above mentioned, the sleeve 36 is slidably receivednpon the `stem 26, but iskeyed to the same to prevent relative rotation therebetween. For this purpose, the sleeve, as vshown in Figure 6,: is provided at its lower portion with a longitudinally extending slot or guidewayl42for slidably' but non-rotatably engaging akey 44 in the form of a pin or the like, and which is carriedv by'a'nd-extends laterally from the side ofthe stem 26 at` anappropriate position thereon. lAs will now-be apparent from Figure the Vsleeve 36 and thedummy valve yhead 3 8 are free to move slidablyflongitudinally of the stem V26, but are restrained aridfprevented` against relative rotation with-respectfthereto. Y

`Adjacent its lower end, a bushing 46 is slidablyj received upon the sleeve 3S,- and retained thereonas byIa setscrew -or the like'48 'in various longithe valve stem, this nut being preferably provided with a knurled ingerj grip portion 54 as shown in "Figure 1. Atany convenient place thereon, thisv adjusting nut is provided with a trammel or indicating pointer 56 which is positioned to overlie the flat annular top surface of the dummy valve head 38, and to cooperate with suitable indicating indicia 58 thereon, as shown in Figure 4.

Preferably, the pitch of the threaded portion 28 issuch that one complete rotation of the adjusttudinally adjusted positions.` This bushing serves the dual functions ofV enclosing. the guide slot' .42 and ixtheakey 44, and preventing lateral displacementrofthe key from the guide, and further functionslas a `guide bushing, as shown in Figure 1,1 for guidingy the gauge in the valve bushing passage I4. :A: resilient-:means in the form of a coiled compression spring V50 is provided which encirclesthe,lowerrportion of the stem126, and is seateda'gainst the upper surface of the boot 32,

andsis received within the lower portion of theV guide: bushingV 46; rand abuts. the lower., end of. the

sleevef 36;-,1Ths :resilient vmeans. yieldingly urges y .ing nut 52 will permit, in part or effect, a predetermined axial or longitudinal movement of the dummy valve head 38 with respect to the bottom portion 34 of the boot-32. Thus, if twentyeight threads per inch areprovided, one complete turn of the adjusting .nut will result in a move- A ment of thirty-ve one-thousandths of an inch of the dummy valve head toward or from Ythe bottom surface of the boot 32'7 thusvarying the distance from the engagementgof the seating sur-v face 40 ofthe dummy head 3Bv and the valve seat I2 from the top Aof the valve actuator I6 by 35- thousandths of an inch. The indicia 58 will thusindicate by thousandths of an inch, or fractional portions 'of a rotation of the adjusting nut 52, any desired variation from this length.

In the use of this gauge, the latter is inserted in the valveseat I2 and through the valve passage I4 as shown in Figure 1, with the bottom portionY 34 of the boot 32 restingpupon thetop surface of -the valve actuator I6 when the valve actuating cam I8 is in'its idle position as shown in' Figure l. It is now merely necessary, to rotate or adjust the adjusting nutY 52l until such timeY asthe surface v4I)r justseatsupon` the valve seat I2, whilev their proper.- angular intervalas indicated by theV indicia'58, to'shorten the lengthxof the gauge by the amountiofY clearancedesire'd. With the gauge so adjusted, the latter vis now ready to properly adjust the -valvelv stem grinder for, at one operation, providing the yproper length to the valve steml which has been reconditioned in its valve Referring now to Figures Zand' 3, it will be seenY that the valve grinderfcompri-sesa.conventional abrasive wheel rGIL-:mounted for rotation uponan arbor or shaftv 62 Vbyany-desiredmeans, the face or side 64 of this -wheelservingas the abrasive` surface for removingexcessive material from, the

bottom end of the valvefstem Y2li which isA to be pressed thereagainst. `The valve steml grinder further includes a supporting jig.A which may conveniently comprise a substantially U-shaped bracket indicated at 66, which is fixedly but adjustably secured by `any Asuitable f supporting means, such as thatI indicated.diagrammatically at- B8, with respect to the abrasive wheel. This supporting; jig may conveniently comprise parallel vertical supporting `standards-'Illand 'I2 1 which may be provided with V-notches in their yupper surface for slidably and rotatably receiving and supporting a valve stem 20 therein, as shown in Figure 3. An adjustable stop means in the form of a bar or slide 'i4 is slidable through aligned apertures inthe supportsl@ and 72, in parallel relation to the member supported by these standards. The bar 'M is yieldingly urged away from the abrasive wheel 69, as'by a coiled compression spring i5 which embraces the bar and terminally abuts the standard 12, and an adjustable collar 'i8 adjustably secured upon the bar 14. Although yieldingly urged away from ing portion 24 abuts or engages and rests upon the stop surfaces 88. At this time, further movement toward the right of the valve stem is prevented, and the amount of material removed from the valve is thus limited to obtain the desired clearance between the valve stem and the valve actuator. a f

From the foregoing, the operation of the device together with its many advantages will be readily understood, and further explanation. is

. believed to be unnecessary. However, since nuthe abrasive wheel, the bar M may be locked in a various adjusted positions, as by a set screw or the like, as indicated at 80, and which is screwthreaded through the standard 10 and adapted to engage the side of the bar 74.

At its outer end, beyond the standard 19, the bar 14 is provided with a set of stop jaws 82 and 84 of any desired character, which are provided with conical stop surfaces 86, corresponding to the conicity of the seating portion 24 of a valve stem and to the seating portion 40 of the dummy valve head 38.

The operation of this jig is as follows: The locking or fastening screw 80 is released, whereupon the spring 16 will urge the stop member 1d toward the left, as viewed in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The clearance gauge, adjusted in the manner previously described for obtaining a desired length of valve stem, together with the desired clearance, is now placed in the V-shaped notches of the supporting standards 'l0 and 'l2 of the jig 66, with the foot portion 34 of the boot 32 disposed against the surface 64 of 'the abrasive wheel 60, whereby the engagement of the surface 49 with the top surfaces 36 of the jaws 82 and 84 will cause a sliding movement of the bar 14 against the resistance of the'spring '16, until the bottom or foot portion 34 has been properly seated against the surface 64. In this position, the screw 89 is then tightened and the gauge member removed, it being noted that Jthe surfaces 66 will now be positioned at the same distancefrom the surface 64 of the abrasive wheel as it is desired to obtain for the compensated distance by the valve seat l2 to the top of the valve actuator I6.

The valve stem is then inserted in the V-shaped notches, as shown in Figure 3, and it will be noted that because of the excessive length of the valve stem that the foot of the same will engage against the surface of the abrasive wheel, while the valve head will be spaced from the stop surfaces 86 as by a clearance indicated generally at 88 in Figure 3. The valve stem will now be held in place and pressed toward the abrasive wheel, as the latter is rotated, until the necessary amount of material has been removed from the foot of the valve stem, it being noted that as this material is removed, the valve stem will be shifted or pushed toward the right, until the valve seatmerous modifications and changes will readilyoccur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accomy panying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, vbut all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus disclosed and described the invention, what is claimed as new is as follows:

l. A valve clearance gauge comprising a stem, a sleeve having a dummy valve thereon slidable upon said stem, means preventing rotation of said sleeve during sliding movement, a guide bushing adjustably secured to said sleeve and enclosing said rotationpreventing means, a boot removably secured to one end of said stem for engaging a valve actuator, resilient means abutting said boot and sleeve and urging the sleeve from the boot, adjusting means engaging the other end of the stem and retaining the sleeve thereon for varying the distance between the dummy valve and the end of the boot.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said bushing surrounds one end of said resilient means. 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said adjusting means comprises a nut threaded upon the stem, said nut and dummy valve having cooperating indicia.

4. The combination ofl claim 1 wherein said rotation preventing means comprises a key extending laterally from said stem, said sleeve having a key slot slidingly receiving said key.

ALBERT F. E. SCHEMMEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the -lle of this patent: 

